Paper mulberry (aute)

Broussonetia papyrifera

Polynesians beat its bark into tapa cloth; the red fruit is edible. Invasive in parts of the US, so plant with care.

Type: small tree · fruit trees
Hardiness: zones 6 to 10
Light: full sun
Size: about 30 ft tall, 25 ft wide
Harvest: May to June
From: East Asia; carried across the Pacific for barkcloth
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: food, wildlife.

Native to: East Asia, Hawaiʻi & Pacific Islands. Hardy in zones 6 to 10.

The story

Paper mulberry came from East Asia and was carried by Polynesian voyagers across the Pacific, where its inner bark was beaten into barkcloth called tapa or kapa. In China it was one of the first sources of paper. The orange fruit is edible.

Planting

Full sun, any soil; hardy to zone 6. Plant a cutting or sucker; it grows quickly into a small tree.

Growing

Water until it settles in; it then takes drought, heat and pollution. Cut it back often to get long straight shoots for barkcloth, and pull suckers.

Harvest and use

Eat the soft orange fruit fresh in summer. For tapa, strip the inner bark from young shoots, soak, and beat it into thin sheets.

What to watch for

Suckers and wind-blown pollen; it can become weedy in warm regions.

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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home